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CLEVELAND -- When Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco left the huddle, his mind already was made up. If the Cleveland Browns gave him a certain look, he was throwing the ball to Steve Smith, the veteran receiver who the Ravens signed for these very moments. It didn’t matter that Joe Haden, one of the game’s best cornerbacks, was defending Smith. In fact, Flacco didn’t even realize until later that Haden was on Smith. With the Ravens “staring a 1-2 record in the face” as Flacco put it, he and Smith hooked up on a 32-yard reception down the right sideline. Four plays later, Justin Tucker split the uprights with a 32-yard field goal with no time on the clock, sending...

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CLEVELAND -- When Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco left the huddle, his mind already was made up. If the Cleveland Browns gave him a certain look, he was throwing the ball to Steve Smith, the veteran receiver who the Ravens signed for these very moments.
It...

RAVENS PASSING GAME: In the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Flacco played safe and efficient football. Expect more of the same as the Ravens want him to avoid the slow starts that plagued him on the road last year. Steve Smith and the two...

Johnny Manziel is not expected to start for the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That doesn't mean the spotlight on Manziel will fade or that the debate about who should be playing quarterback for the Browns...

When Jeromy Miles joined the Ravens last year, it was primarily in a special-teams ace role.
Now, Miles is operating in a dual capacity with his defensive role increasing significantly.
Miles played 48 snaps on defense, 81 percent of the...

There was a time, not too long ago, when the NFL draft wasn't on Corey Fuller's radar.
Without a football scholarship offer during his senior year at Woodlawn, Fuller went to Kansas to run track and compete in the triple jump. After two years there, he...

New Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith is confident. But if you listen to every interview that he’s done since signing with the team, it’s clear that he wants everybody to know that he doesn’t view himself as the final piece to the Ravens’ puzzle. The...

Anquan Boldin bellowed advice from the sideline to Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith, delivering a sage last-second tip that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would be throwing the football in his direction.Smith nodded affirmatively before matching...

I'm pleased to announce that I will be bringing back my weekly fantasy football column this fall. Why am I so pleased? Because it gives me an excuse to tinker with my fantasy football teams when I'm on the clock.I’m scaling back to four or five leagues...

Let's jump in the time machine and flash back in time to the early 2000s when Tom Cruise wasn't a known crazy person, "Freedom Fries" were an innovation in redneck culinary circles and men under the age of 40 wearing visors in public was...

With trades in consecutive offseasons, the Ravens have given Joe Flacco a formidable receiving tandem in Anquan Boldin and Lee Evans. Boldin has had five 1,000-yard seasons in his eight years in the league and Evans has averaged 15.7 yards per catch in...

The other three NFC East teams might have celebrity quarterbacks and they may have started the season with high playoff expectations, but in the season's opening act, it's the Redskins who've quickly stolen the division spotlight. With a 2-0 record and...

When Jamaal Charles tore his ACL on Sunday, any hopes the Kansas City Chiefs had of making it back to the NFL playoffs were shredded. The season-ending injury to Charles, a top-five pick in most fantasy leagues, is also a devastating blow to fantasy...

In last week's installment of Fantasy Fodder, I cautioned you to not panic and trade away one of five notable early-season disappointments if your team was stuck in the cellar. I hope this past week was better for you.This week, we're going to turn the...

Carson Palmer will be a hot commodity on the waiver wire this week after the Cincinnati Bengals traded him to the Oakland Raiders for a pair of high draft picks. I can't imagine that someone in your fantasy league already has Palmer on his or her roster...

Every season, a few surprise studs come out of fantasy Siberia to reward savvy owners who had the foresight to select them in the later rounds of the draft. A season ago, Adrian Foster, Peyton Hillis and Brandon Lloyd come to mind. Ray Rice, Miles...

Last week, we looked at the biggest surprises of the 2011 fantasy football campaign. This time around, we will hand out dishonors to the disappointing (non-injured) players who have torpedoed our seasons so far.Try not to cuss too much in the comments...

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t been the team we expected (I’m no longer using the ‘D’ word when talking about the Eagles, and you’re welcome). They are 3-5 at the midway point of the season, and their margin for error to make it into the playoffs is...

Grumpy Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Monday had to answer a few questions about the use of Ray Rice in Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Based on the line of questioning from reporters, I’m guessing at least one of those guys has Rice, who...

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporters Aaron Wilson and Matt Vensel will look back at the Ravens' previous game and that of their next opponent.Cowboys 18, Bears 34(Note: We are looking at Dallas' game before Sunday's bye.)Strategy: The Cowboys used three...